People are a little bit stingier in barber chairs and Ubers than they were just a few years ago.

The shares of adults who say they always tip their hair stylists, servers at sit-down restaurants and food delivery people have each fallen 8 percentage points since 2021, according to a Bankrate survey released Wednesday. That rate slipped 7 percentage points for taxi and ride-hail drivers over the same period.

Three years ago, the economy was reopening from the pandemic and inflation was higher than it is now, but so was concern for front-line workers.

At the time, three-quarters of consumers reported always tipping restaurant servers, but today just two-thirds do. Despite modest upticks since last year, barely more than half of people now count themselves reliable tippers of hairdressers (55%) and food delivery drivers (51%), while only 41% say the same when it comes to ordering a ride.

The survey reflects Americans’ growing ease bypassing ubiquitous tipping prompts, from coffeeshops to airport terminals in the post-Covid economy, especially as sticker prices have risen. While consumer spending has held remarkably steady, many households are feeling the squeeze from persistent inflation and tightening their belts accordingly. Some of that newfound caution may be factoring into when, where and how much people tip.

  • Ech@lemm.ee
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    25
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    5 months ago

    To be clear, it’s never warranted. It’s just some cultures that have normalized the practice for certain services. Companies should always fully pay their employees. Full stop.

    • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      6
      ·
      edit-2
      5 months ago

      Not true. It depends on the job and the state. NY for example, has a tip allowance of $5 per hour. That means establishments can pay their servers $10 per hour and still meet minimum wage law, because the staff is expected to make at least $5 per hour in tips.

      While I agree that employers should pay their staff well, it’s standard practice for servers in NY to be underpaid and rely on tips as part of their income.

      • Ech@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        14
        ·
        5 months ago

        All of that also being known as…normalization.

        • disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          5 months ago

          That’s fair. I thought you were implying societal normalization by identifying cultures rather than governments. I see how this would be considered systemic normalization.